Short Intermission

8th Feb 2021 by Kasia x ♥ 2 Comments

Hi All

Just writing a small update on where I have been. I missed my last 2 blog posts simply because I have not had time. My dissertation is swollowing up my time and any freedom I have so for now I will be skipping this weeks post too, and will be back for regualar posts on the 21st Feb.

This year my posting may be irregular until May (when my thesis is due) I hope you can understand. I love writing and making new content but the education I am paying for needs to come first right now!

I miss writing and hope to have some free time for it again soon, for now stay safe! I can always be reached on my social media on the contacts page ❤

Love, Kasia x

University Online? My Experience And Tips

7th Oct 20207th Oct 2020 by Kasia x ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hi guys,

University is a hard experience on its own, for most it’s moving away and starting a new life, meeting new people and a lot of self-development. You learn so much about yourself and gain amazing skills, great opportunities and altogether it’s just a great experience for most, when you take advantage of all it has to offer. I as a student can confirm this and say that the past few years of my life have been both shocking but also amazing! I wish everyone the experience I had as a student and to see this as a way to have this final chance of fun with learning.

As I wish for people to have this experience, for the past year most have been unable to do so. When Coronavirus started at the start of 2020, most students were left neglected, ignored and deprived of the experience they want, and also paid for. For most, like me, the university experience has moved on the world of online. Using eBooks, online lessons, pre-recorded lectures and meeting friends via zoom. Today I wanted to give you some of my experiences that I have had as I started my online learning 2 weeks ago, show you what I have picked up and to look at the positives and negatives of it.

Firstly, A not so positive experience, probably not a good one to start off with but as I spoke to my peers, it is not common for most students. I am currently living at home, because Bournemouth is 3 hours away from me and my student aid would not cover my living costs for the year but also I did not see the point of moving away and spending so much money just to sit in front of my computer screen. I am used to the way I study and my parents are used to me not being home while I study so the adjustment has been hard, also not having many people to relate to in this situation has not been the best either, as I found out many of my peers moved to Bournemouth anyway, which to me is pointless but it is their choice, maybe its the idea of trying to stay close to friends and having some of the university experience, I am not sure. Anyway, with all of us in the house it has been hard to adjust, my dad sleeps during the day as he works at night, and I have online lessons where I need to engage and speak, so this is an issue in its self. Also, I work all day, at my desk, and the communication between us is hard, it’s hard for them to understand that I don’t have time to relax with them or do some chores most of the time. But as the weeks go by, it’s getting better, and having them close to me does benefit in some sort of way, I can talk about my stresses and anxieties and maybe get some advice on assignments, there’s always a good side to a not so great situation.

On a more positive note, through online learning, I have gained more confidence to participate in my lessons. While being on campus and in lectures or seminars, I mostly chose to stay quiet and out of the way as I just do not like attention or the stress of getting the question right or making a fool of myself. But with my lessons all online, I feel more excited to engage, maybe because I have a feeling everyone is a bit stressed as this is something new to us so we are all on the same boat or the safety of my computer screen and bed. I also have come to the realisation that I am paying for this and engagement is key, this is my final year and I need to make the best of it and everything it has to offer! I have started relating to my lectures more and gained overall confidence, so although this is not how I have imaged my final year, there are some benefits to it.

A minor stress that I am having and I feel most people will in my situation is trust. Trust towards the teachers and organisers of the whole online learning idea, I feel uneasy about how people might forget things or don’t show up to lessons simply because its all virtual, or people won’t know how to work certain things and chasing up people for content will be harder than ever. I feel this is something that could happen but is not likely, yet it still sits in the back of my mind. I am also keeping graduation in mind, my boyfriends is in July and mine next November and I just don’t want it to be online too, I want this final gratifying goodbye to education, to celebrate with my friends and I don’t think doing it through a screen really shows how hard we all worked to get there.

On a final note, I know this is stressful not just for students but for the lecturers and organisers too, my program and all the teachers that work on my degree are doing the best they can to make sure we are supported and have everything we need, this includes to calling one of them to have a chat to more extensive mental health help. It’s appreciated and does not go unnoticed, and more helpful than ever with local lockdowns and practically doing everything from home now, basically no human contact can drive anyone insane.

I hope you have found this post useful, as a way to relate or to educate yourselves on what students are currently going through, as we are not really being spoke about in the media and in politics in general and kind of left behind. Students are doing ok but we could be better, so if you know a university student or member of staff, check on them as they might really need some positive attention.

Love, Kasia x

4 Top Myths About University

12th Aug 202010th Aug 2020 by Kasia x ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

(I know this is the second post about university in a row but I have not blogged about this in a long time, I promise the next post will be something different!)

When talking about university, you often hear the top comments, and misconceptions, about it. This can be off-putting for you or anyone you know who is interested in taking this further step into education. It can become demotivating and may affect you when you don’t want it to. But today, I am here to explain these “myths” to you, why they are not true, and what actually happens in accordance with these myths from personal experiences. Remember that university is a big step and responsibility but it should not be something you are too scared of, its a new step in life, a more mature version of education, and if you are sure your fit for it then it will be an amazing experience for you. Now let’s get down to debunking these myths.

Firstly, the classic myth that when you go to university you are putting yourself in tremendous debt, that you will never pay off and it will haunt you for the rest of your life. They’re going to say that you will never even earn enough to pay back the loan, it’s not worth it, it will be confusing to payback etc etc. If you are studying in the UK, this is completely untrue! When you take out your student loan through Student Finance England for example, you take out as much as you need, obviously in accordance with your tuition fee. Then your other loan for living costs etc is estimated and also given to you, so let’s say a grand total of £20,000 per year. I study a three-year course, so by the end of my course, my student debt will be in the high £50,000-£60,000. NOW: I will only start repaying the loan back when I earn over £25,000 per year AND ONLY THEN! So let’s say I am on £25,000 a year, my monthly deduction will come to about max £15-£30 per month. That is the cost of 2 takeouts per month. So is there really much to panic about? Not really, obviously, when you get into the university you know you will have to pay it back, but it is not in such massive amounts as you hear! Also another positive, after 30 years of your graduation, if you have not paid off your debt, it gets completely cleared. So most likely you will max payback maybe half of your degree at best, without making a dent in the bank. Side note, a student loan in the UK does not count as a loan in your credit score, so if your 30 and buying a house and you have student debt, or buying a car or anything you need your credit score for, this will not appear. I remember the mass panic I was going through when applying to university when I thought of all this money I will have to pay back one day, but when the student loans company came into my school and broke this down for us, my worries were at ease, so your welcome 😉

Another myth that is common when discussing university in the UK is that university is much harder than college and high school, that is it way more difficult than A-Levels, and that your just making your life harder for a longer period of time. This is not true either as within school and college, you focus on many different topics and study mass amounts of materials on things that sometimes do not relate, making it much harder for the brain to remember. It puts on a lot of stress as school exams are important for work and further life, whereas, at university, you make the choice to go there so it is just for your benefit, it is not compulsory education. Also, most of the time you focus on one topic unless you study a mixed degree, so it is much easier to remember! At university you also have many more recourses and people to help than in school, as most of the time, there is more space and productivity areas on campus and much more staff per student than in normal education. On top of this, remember, university is not all work, work and work, you get to have fun too so it was really confusing for me to constantly hear that I will be making my life miserable by going to university. Of course, you have to work hard and pay a high price, but you are also there for the experience.

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Thirdly, a myth that annoys me to my maximum potential because of how untrue it is. If you go to university, you all have the same experience and lifestyle of drinking, partying, taking drugs, always being tired, not going to class, missing assignments etc. THIS IS SO UNTRUE! If you are that type of person then it is easy to get roped into, but this does not happen to every student. From personal experience, I can tell you that I am not a party person so this experience absolutely did not happen to me. When I first started university and met people, I started this lifestyle and I did not like it, getting home for a night out I didn’t enjoy at God knows what hour, wasting money on expensive drinks and taxis and watching my “friends” throw up their dinner. I knew this wasn’t me so I immediately departed from this group and before I knew it I was with the group of friends I was meant to b with. Cinema, beach. restaurants, shopping, the odd peaceful club night, events such as the Christmas fair, this was all part of my university experience and I will tell you that I loved it so much I would not change it for anything else. Make sure to not have this stereotype put you off, your experience is just for you, don’t let anyone predict what it is going to be like.

And lastly, you can only go to university if you are rich. Again, very untrue as for the past few years, there have been so many things made available to people who want to study but may not be from the best background. I and my boyfriend have a stable income from our parents but there is no way we could pay £20k a year upfront for our education, like most from our areas, so we took advantage of the loan system, which is not that scary as discussed in point one, and we are very happy with our decision. Not to mentions the mass amount of programs that are available within the universities for students even if you need extra income after the loan, some are even put in place so you don’t even have to pay them back. Do not be off-put by the “rich” stereotype, anyone who has a great mind can go to university without thinking money is an issue, you just have to do the right research and planning for your funding and your good to go! And get a confirmed place at university of course 😉

I hope you have found this post useful, somethings I wish I knew before going to university for sure! Just one final note, just in case you have not seen my updates tab or my Instagram, from the 16th of August till the 13th of September, posts will only be on Sundays at 3pm UK time, as I am going to Poland to see family for a month, after that my normal schedule will resume. Stay safe!

Love, Kasia x

A-Z Of University Do’s And Don’ts

9th Aug 202011th Aug 2020 by Kasia x ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hi everyone,

As my time as a third-year student is approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to outline some of the best things to “do and don’t” during your time at university that I have picked up over the years. Some may be exected to you but some may be new, but I do recommend to follow this to have the best experience and education, that you are paying for! Here they are below:

A: Do, Act properly: As this is something new, make sure to give a good first impression to your peers, teachers, everyone! It will make you more open and likeable and guarantee a socially smooth university experience.
B: Don’t, Bottle up feelings: Again, as this is a new experience, you may be having mixed feelings about it all, make sure to speak to student services or to new and old friends to check in with your mental health.
C: Do, Concentrate in your first year: In the UK, the first year of your degree for most does not count, but that still does not mean you should slack off as working hard in the first year will prepare you for the next 2 upcoming.
D: Don’t, Ditch lessons: Relating to the first point, don’t ditch lessons, they are there for a reason and your paying for them!
E: Do, Extensive research before choosing your university: Make sure you are choosing the right place for you, look at all your options and be open as the environment is key.
F: Don’t, Fall out of touch with family and friends before university: Make sure to keep in contact with the people you love most and who helped you get to university, keep people around who know you well, even better than your new friends at university.
G: Do, Go to freshers fair and events, ie club nights: Make sure to get out there and enjoy life! Be more social and experience new things out of your comfort zone.
H: Don’t, Hide your true self: Make sure to always be you, don’t let this new “lifestyle” change who you really are as this is the person people want to get to know.
I: Do, Interest yourself in societys and on-campus clubs: If clubs and nightlife are not your things, there are many on-campus things you can do to stay in the loop and be social.
J: Don’t, “Just go with it”: Don’t give in to peer pressure from other students, everyone’s university experience will be different, make yours unique.
K: Do, Keep calm: University will be stressful as a lot of new things will hit you all at once, keep calm, it will all calm down within time and you will get used to it.
L: Don’t, Loose interest: Stick to your degree through thick and thin, it might be difficult and hard at first but it will all be worth it in the end.
M: Do, Money management: This is so important, if you manage your finances right, then you can have an amazing time at university doing awesome things, but if you don’t then it can become a burden more than an experience.
N: Don’t, Neglect basic life skills: Many people come to university and become children again as it is education, don’t be like them and be responsible.
O: Do, Open to criticism: From anyone, university is a new experience so you need to learn from your mistakes and don’t take it personally.
P: Don’t, postpone assignments: Make sure to them done on time, this gives you so much more free time and less stress.
Q: Do, Question things: Make sure you know everything and take advantage of being able to ask questions about anything and everything, it will come in use as knowledge is power.
R: Don’t, Rush: Anything. Take your time with things.
S: Do, Show passion: If you’re at university then you know most likely what you want to do in life, work hard and succeed, show your passion in your field.
T: Don’t, Take the experience for granted: 3-4 years of your course will go by so quickly, relish in your time there.
U: Do, Understand what you are getting in to: University is serious, you are getting into debt and you need to know the financial responsibilities of this.
V: Don’t, Vain: Understand everyone is at your level, no one is better or worse, be equal.
W: Do, Want more and more out of your degree: This is a time where you pay for your education, get the most out of it.

Don’t/do, x,y and z: Take peoples advice who have been in your position and enjoy as stated in T!

I hope you have enjoyed this post, university can be a new and stressful thing but trust me, if you follow some of these or all then you will be in a good position and surely enjoy your time at uni! Do let me know which of these you found useful or other things you would add.

Love, Kasia x

My 4 Main Tips On Writing Essays

29th Oct 20196th Jul 2020 by Kasia x ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hi guys, I have been gone for the last week but with a good reason! I was in the hospital due to my own stupidity and ignoring my health, very painful. But a week forward and here I am with another post and another apology for no posts, some things never change.

Since most of you are now back at university like me, it’s also very probable you have some assignments due in soon, like essays, also like me. And most likely you are panicking and doing it last minute, like me! no? okay just me being last minute Larry, Anyway, I know the stress and panic to do with essays and presentations very well which is why I wanted to give you guys something simple to follow while planning or doing your first drafts.

So, I gathered 4 main tips I use on all my essays that I can share with you guys and maybe make your essay writing a little less stressful.

Do not over complicate your words and sentence structures – I know because you think you’re at university you think you have to use all these fancy words to impress your lecturers, but it actually isn’t so! In my first individual assignment (yes because sometimes you have to work in a group, on an essay, I know weird) I over complicated my sentence structure and used some words that I didn’t even know what they fully meant, and my teacher sent back my first draft with a big “NO” to my writing style. I over did it, confused myself, confused my teacher and it was just no good. By no means does this mean that you should answer your essays with “this means that… which proves my point. Next is…” That is too basic, just write with the words that you know, maybe add a few other variations of words but don’t go overboard!
Reference valid sources – No Wikipedia, no random Facebook or Instagram links, no uncredited web pages. Make sure if you are referencing something in your work you can find the following in: who published it, when, where, and the name of the company (if the text is online) or name of the publisher (if the text is a book or a journal) Because if you don’t reference right you will get marked down because they are not accredited academic sources, sure they might prove the point you are trying to make in your essay but if they don’t have any academic accreditation they will not be validated by your teacher. Also make sure you are using the referencing guide from Harvard for your essays, unless your university has its own. If you are struggling to find accredited sources for your work, type in the topic area of your question and the “ac” at the end of it, meaning academic, most of the articles that will pop up then will be scholar articles and will be valuable in your assignments.
Make sure you actually answer the question – The amount of times I have gone through half of my essay and then gone back to the question to then see I have not been answering it fully is uncounted for, this is such a common mistake and its okay to make it, just make sure every time you write a paragraph, go back and check if it is fully addressing the question, and do that again when you finish your essay. Always check before you submit because you could be losing out on easy marks! And we know every mark counts.
PLEASE read the brief! – Relating to the last point, make sure your essay is following the brief and the given marking criteria, because then you will know exactly what your teacher will be looking for in your essay, and once again you will not be missing those easy marks. Briefs also help you plan your essay if that’s what you like to do, you can break down easily what to put in every paragraph once you know what is expected of you to write about and include.

Now after all these good points to help you write the best essays possible make sure most of all that you don’t over stress. Essays are hard I know but it’s not worth losing your head about. Ask for help, speak to your friends and arrange meetings with your teachers if you need the help or don’t understand something. It’s better for you to reach out and get the best grades possible rather than sitting at home and struggling for basic marks!

Love, Kasia x

Second Year At University: Is It All That Scary?

10th Oct 20196th Jul 2020 by Kasia x ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hi guys,

Not to be contradicting to the title of the blog post first-hand here, but, I would say that I have been limited to my 1 post a week schedule from studying as a second-year student. So yes, it is a bit scary.

That’s it, end of the blog post!

No, I’m just kidding, but yes, I do have less free time now that I am back as a second-year student which explains the lack of content. There are lots of new things I have keep on top of that are not part of my course directly and when you hit the second year you probably will too. Today I want to go through the kind of things that are expected of you as a second-year student, some of these things will be tailored to my university in particular but I will try and keep it as mainstream as possible for any of you reading out there to relate.

First thing I do want to honestly say is that I have no idea where my first year went! One second it was here, and now it’s gone, just disappeared. I know they said it will go quickly but really that quickly? In all honesty, the first year was great because I see it to kind of ease you into what you are about to study and allows you to see if the course you have picked is for you. Also having the first year not count towards your final grade is also another additional thing that I would say is great because once again it gives you that time to find out if this is really for you. Don’t get me wrong, they say it does not count, but you need to at least pass every assignment to be accepted to continue the course, so don’t take it for a joke.

Enough about the first year, now on to what I have experienced and could say about surviving my first week as a second year. Now like I said I do not mean to alarm you, but I am not using the term SURVIVING lightly here, it is very hard. No “don’t worry you will get the hang of it, you have lots of time to learn” it’s more like “Welcome back guys, hope you all had a good summer and said goodbye to your friends and family, here is 10 essays, 3 portfolios and 5 exams”.

It’s been a week. 2 break downs and I am here for the next week now. I am swamped with work, but not in a bad way. The above is dramatized obviously but I do mean it in a way because the people who worked with you in your first year such as lecturers or group leader are most likely to be working with you this second year and they will expect more of you and its right that they do. You had your “introduction” being the first year and now it’s time to get down to business. They expect you to do lots of reading beyond the unit guides, lots of your own research and some extra curriculum activities too. Personally, I part take in being a student ambassador for my university, part of a talent program we also offer here and now just started studying to be a Microsoft Office Word specialist. And I moan about not having free time to write? and not to mention my part-time job… Sorry! I need the experience.

Within the first week, I was introduced to all my assignments for the first semester, ending in December, and I see that as being a good and bad thing. Bad meaning, I got overwhelmed and had a break down over the fact that this year will be really hard and I will be doing things I have never done before, such as conducting my own research based on primary research or setting up live promotional campaigns. But also good in the way that I was told straight off the bat that this is what I will be doing this year and I better get ready for it. So, my advice to you, if you just also started the second year, try and avoid breaking down but rather process the information calmly, make notes and be sure you are clear on what needs to be done for the semester. And definitely don’t sit in your bed, cry about it and eat a whole bar of Cadbury chocolate…It’s just an example… it’s not like I did it.

Also, in the first week I was introduced to placements, and what those are about is getting a job for either 4 weeks or 30 weeks in the field that you want to work in after you graduate, to get experience and find your ground. Now to make my life harder, I decided to go with a 30-week placement. I told my friends and they look at me as if I was crazy at first! Anyway, I decided to do a placement for this long period of time because I feel it will give me more experience in the field I want to work in, which is marketing, and also that it will give me a break from studying but also a taste of that adult life. Now I wish I had some advice for you about placements, but only just starting on my own placement journey I have very little advice to give. I would say one main thing though, which I know will be scary to a few of you, you should go into applying for placements with a career path in mind, ideally. If you don’t that’s fine you still have time to figure it out but I do consider it to make the process easier as I see one of my friends struggling with placement options as he does not really know what he wants to do, which adds more stress and you don’t want that.

I am considering doing a small series of blog posts with a placement update timeline, explaining my placement journey as I go, I will see through but it might be helpful to someone, let me know in the contact section of the blog.

So, to round off, those are my two main first week experiences of being a second-year student, and to answer the question above, yes it is scary. But don’t let that overtake you. I am scared of what’s to come for the next year as I type this, but I know I and anyone else feeling this way will get through it with the right people to talk to and a positive mindset.

Love, Kasia x

First Year At University

24th Aug 20196th Jul 2020 by Kasia x ♥ 2 Comments

Hi everyone,

Starting a new chapter in your life, like university, can be tough but exciting at the same time and you may be searching the internet for some tips and experiences others have went through during this time. If you have found this blog post then I promise you this is 100% authentic, as many things you find online are over-exaggerated or completely untrue, I will give you my honest experiences of university in the perspective of a person who would rather read a book or hang out with friends than party all night.

Firstly I’ll tell you about my living situation, as I moved away from my home town down to Bournemouth to study. For my first year I moved into university accommodation, I thought it was going to be like in the movies, we all get along and go out together and be friends for life, very wrong. Me and my housemates talked on online messenger a few months before moving in and they were great but when we moved in they became completely different people, and I didn’t take a liking to them. They were loud and partied all the time with no rest and basically ignored my existence in the house because I wasn’t like them. Like I said earlier, I would rather stay in and watch a movie or just chill and talk, but they would rather party every night. I soon became very upset and considered moving back home and restarting my studies later, literally just because I didn’t get along with the people I lived with (really stupid, don’t be like me). A month in I was done and ready to leave, but then I met some people on my course who were absolutely amazing and shockingly a lot like me and by two months in I had my own friendship group and practically ignored the house situation I was in as I finally found people I am compatible with. So the point I’m trying to make to whoever is reading this is, It might seem hard at first and if you end up like me and hating your flatmates, don’t suffer in silence, make sure to find the person in charge of your accommodation and ask for a change of house or flat. Don’t do what I did and get upset over people who don’t matter, it’s not worth it as within time you will find your own group of people who will love and support you.

Secondly, I think it’s important to tell you about the main focus of attending university (for some), which is the lectures, seminars and assignments. The first day of my first subject I came home crying. My lecturer told us we were having a test in a few weeks and he went through all the assignments for the year and explained how it’s different from A-Levels. I full-on panicked. All of a sudden you will get a feeling in your first lecture or seminar of “Oh crap this is not A-Level anymore this is harder” and you will panic. But just don’t handle the panic the way I did, which is cry. Speak to someone who is in charge of your course or any of your teachers and explain your worries, even if it is your first day and this is your first lesson and you don’t know your lecturer yet, still try your best to speak up. Even to friends or family, explain your worries or do some research if you don’t want to speak to anyone. Ease your mind before the manic part of the year even starts, calm down you have a whole year to “get it”.

Also, attendance to lectures and seminars are very important, I know it sounds nerdy but try going to everything on your time table, and try to be on time. It’s kinda awkward coming in late to a lecture hall of 200+ people. Trust me, you think it’s one lecture or seminar, but when your lecturer does not upload your content on your virtual learning environment, then it’s over, unless you have a friend or someone to give you notes, but your own notes are always best. Try your hardest because you never know, you might miss something important!

I will also point out that it’s important to know your campus and what they offer you support wise, you never know what you may need. It being money or advice, or help with assignments, it’s always good to know as you may not be able to deal with everything yourself. I started studying my course but I didn’t know what placement for my third year to pick, so I did some research and found out we can book appointments with career advisors, which also help you with part-time jobs. Take advantage of everything because at the end of the day you’re paying your tuition right? So use up as much of it as you can!

Now I have been going on about academics a lot but don’t worry, there is fun to university too. For example, not everything on my campus is academic. We have a whole student union building open to us filled with non-academic activities to do in free time and also areas for personal help, there’s a gym, a bar, we often have some sort of events going on in-between lectures like art sales etc. I’m not saying it’s all about studying, I went out and had fun sometimes too but it all depends on what your focus is in that time in your life. For me, it was to have fun, do and learn about what I love and start a new life, but whatever you choose is completely up to you.

Just make sure you are happy where you are and with what you are doing, don’t force yourself to go to university if you don’t want to, don’t go because everyone else is going or don’t go because you have no other plans or because your parents are making you go. Trust me if you don’t want it and are honestly not trying to do something that will have a positive impact on your future, then don’t.

Love, Kasia x

Issues With Student Jobs

24th Jun 20196th Jul 2020 by Kasia x ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hi guys,

Firstly, to anyone reading this, if you have recently moved away to university from home then good for you. For some, it takes a lot of strength to start fresh and move away from everything you know and love or hate if you are looking for a change. When I moved, it was a way to meet new people and maybe start the beginning of a new chapter in my life, yet on the other hand, I was also leaving behind a few good things such as family, my boyfriend and of course my part-time job.

I loved my part-time job. Loved the staff and the work in all aspects. I worked in a library every Saturday with kids and elderly people, which were all the sweetest. But university in Bournemouth was something that I decided to be my next choice in education and career-wise full time, which meant I had to leave behind my job, update the old CV and move on.

I started applying to jobs even before I moved into my university housing on my campus, just a week before so they have enough time to get back to me. Then I applied in September for the whole month, Then October and so on till the middle of December.

I got nothing back.

I was positive that at this point I have applied to about 100 different jobs, Retail, Customer Service, Office, Warehouse even! You name a business in Bournemouth Square and I have probably applied to work there. As a student the loan you receive is not much most of the time, so I was really desperate, but I was still left with no employment. But none the less I needed to keep applying.

From such experience I gathered two main things, the first being the number of negative feelings that arise with constant rejection. By the time of the end of October, I was so sick of rejection that I was on the phone to my boyfriend saying I wanted to go home and quit university. Not because I was failing, finding it difficult or had no friends, simply due to the constant rejections of employers who were specifically looking for students, yet when given they rejected them. This also started to make me think if there is something wrong with me? am I not good enough for a simple student job that requires the bare minimum? Such self-doubt made me feel even worse on top of the already occurring stresses of being a university fresher and was not good for my mental health.

Advice for such feelings coming from constant rejections from employers from me would be to take it lightly as I wish I did. I know this is also easy said than done but once you think about the way employers look at you and your application you will understand more why you should not be upset over such rejections. They take your CV and if they see one thing they may not like they won’t take you and that’s it! Sometimes they might find the person they are looking for and not even get to your CV, It is honestly nothing personal and none of you should think about it to the point that I did. Do not let something that is a small area of your life take over, focus on your study, I know money is important, but you should always and always put your mental health first. If any further help is needed then talk to family, friends or even facilities offered by the university or institution you are studying at, but don’t sweat it alone.

Another thing is you have to think about, as mentioned earlier, think about the employers. They also have a set criteria for the person they are looking for and in that instant, it might just not be you. I know when you get rejected they seem like the worse people in the world but think, it might just not have been meant to be.

So, the main pieces of advice here are:

put your mental health first. Don’t let a part-time job as a student take over your life.
Get used to rejection. It will happen a lot so take it as something to learn from.
There is always another way. It being help from friends or family financially for a bit or even getting funds from your university.

For me, in the end, it all worked out somewhat positively. I now have a summer job and will be saving all that money for my new flat for year two of university with my best friend. Try your best but if it does not work out there’s always help and alternatives like I took advantage of. Don’t risk your own sanity over a job for some extra cash, stay healthy.

Love, Kasia x